The ROI Math on Estimating Software: Should You Switch?

Every shop owner asks the same question: is the $99/month estimating software worth it? Let's do the math.

Time savings

A typical kitchen quote, done by hand: 45-60 minutes. Done in good estimating software: 12-18 minutes. Saved time per quote: ~35 minutes.

Quote volume

Average shop quotes 25-40 jobs per month. At 35 saved minutes each, that's 14-23 hours/month.

Hourly cost

If your estimator earns $25/hr loaded, you save $350-575/month. If it's the owner doing quotes (likely $60-100/hr opportunity cost), you save $840-2,300/month.

Close-rate impact

Faster quote turnaround correlates with higher close rate. We see shops jump from 32% to 41% close rate when they go from 5-day to 24-hour quote response.

The verdict

Even at the most pessimistic numbers, a $99/month tool pays back 4x. The shops that don't switch aren't doing the math.